Back in February, Nintendo confirmed that the Switch family has now sold over 139 million units since the OG console's launch in March 2017.
After almost two months, it's safe to assume that sales have now comfortably surpassed 140 million, meaning the Switch only needs to sell another 15 million to pass the PS2 at 155 million units… right?
Well not quite. According to former PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan (who has officially resigned effective April 1, 2024), which appeared on Official PlayStation Podcast To commemorate his time at the company, the PS2 has already sold a total of 160 million units (thanks, VGC). This means the Switch is about 20 million units shy of becoming the best-selling console of all time according to current estimates. You can check out Ryan's comments at 14:52 in the podcast itself.
Now, given Ryan's position at Sony during his time at the company, we can't imagine this is just a random number he pulled out of his back pocket. PS2 consoles were officially produced until 2013, while Sony stopped providing sales figures in 2012. So it's entirely plausible that the PS2 could add another 5 million to the previously confirmed 155 million.
However, what's also important to keep in mind is that the PS2 had a remarkably long lifespan. Originally launched in March 2000, production ended in 2013, meaning it had an amazing 13 years on the market. The Switch has now been available for over 7 years, but assuming Nintendo chooses to keep it available as a budget option when the successor eventually launches, we think 160 million is still within reach.
However, the console that will come to the fore will not mean much for Nintendo itself, but it will be good for the company to achieve such an important achievement after the miserable failure of the Wii U.
